You finished the 220 hours, your testing is done at the academy, and your DBPR registration is on its way. Here is the sequence for turning that Facial Specialist license into a business of your own, in the order the paperwork actually has to happen.

1. Know where you are allowed to work

Florida law (section 477.0263) requires cosmetology services, and facials are cosmetology services, to be performed in a licensed salon. The exceptions are narrow: special events, clients who cannot travel because of illness (arranged through a salon), and educational seminars. "Mobile esthetician" and "facials from my living room" are not on that list.

That leaves three real options:

• Employee at a spa or salon. The employer holds the salon license. Nothing below applies yet.
• Booth or suite renter inside someone else's licensed salon. You are an independent business inside their license. This is where most new estheticians start.
• Your own salon license, including a room in your home if it is separated from the living quarters by a permanent wall with its own entrance and its own restroom. Apply on the DBPR salon application (form COSMO 6), pay the state fee, and expect an unannounced inspection within about 90 days.

The rest of this guide assumes you are renting a suite or opening a small studio. Our suite rental guide covers the money side.

2. Sole proprietor or LLC

A sole proprietor is the default: you are the business, no filing required, and your personal savings are on the line if a client sues over a reaction to a peel or a waxing burn. A single-member LLC separates the business from you. In Florida it costs $125 to file online (Articles of Organization $100, registered agent designation $25), and the state charges an annual report fee each year by May 1 with a steep late penalty. For a business whose whole product is chemicals and devices on other people's skin, most estheticians who rent a suite choose the LLC. Talk to an accountant about taxes; the liability point stands either way.

3. The EIN

Free, ten minutes, irs.gov. If you form an LLC, form it first and apply in the LLC's name; the bank will require it. If you stay a sole proprietor, get one anyway so your Social Security number never appears on a booth-rent agreement or a Dermalogica wholesale application. Details and the order of operations are in EIN Basics.

4. The name

Trading under anything other than your own legal name means registering a fictitious name with the Florida Division of Corporations ($50, five years). An LLC's name is registered when you form it. Avoid "medical," "clinic," "dermatology," and "medspa" in an esthetics business name; they imply a medical practice you are not licensed to run.

5. The local paperwork

The Board of Cosmetology does not regulate booth renters, but your county or city does: Orange County and the City of Orlando each issue a local business tax receipt (the old occupational license), and a booth or suite renter generally needs one. Check with the county tax collector before your first week.

6. Two things specific to skin

• Professional liability insurance. Esthetics associations sell member policies that cover treatments, waxing and tinting for a few hundred dollars a year. Do not treat a single client without it; a suite landlord will usually ask for the certificate.
• Retailing products (cleansers, SPF, serums) makes you a Florida sales-tax dealer. Register with the Florida Department of Revenue before your first retail sale; the services themselves are not taxed, the products are.

7. Then the bank account

With the LLC stamped (or the fictitious name registered), the EIN letter saved, and the name spelled identically on all three, open the business account. What to bring and what to look for is in the bank account guide.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and fees change; confirm current requirements with the DBPR, the Florida Division of Corporations, your county tax collector and a licensed professional.

Pristine Beauty Academy Facial Specialist students can ask Admissions about Own It resources while still in the program.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Do I need an LLC to work as an esthetician in Florida?

No. Your Florida Facial Specialist registration lets you work as a sole proprietor, in a licensed salon, with no LLC. Most estheticians who rent a suite form a single-member LLC anyway, for liability separation, and it costs $125 to file in Florida.

Can I do facials from home in Florida?

Only if the room is a licensed salon. Florida requires cosmetology services, including facials, to be performed in a DBPR-licensed salon; a home salon qualifies when it is separated from the living quarters by a permanent wall, has its own entrance and its own restroom, and passes inspection.

Do I need an EIN if I am a solo esthetician renting a booth?

Not by law if you are a sole proprietor with no employees, but get one: it is free, takes ten minutes at irs.gov, and keeps your Social Security number off the booth-rent agreement, supplier accounts and product-vendor forms.

What is the first thing to do after passing the Facial Specialist program?

Apply to the DBPR for your Facial Specialist registration, then decide where you will work (employee, booth or suite renter, or your own salon), because that choice decides whether you need a salon license, a local business tax receipt, and an LLC.